Results 41-60 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: European Council Decisions: Motions (1 Oct 2015)

Averil Power: I wish to make the following point, and it is one that I do not think the Minister of State can refute, about the resettlement of refugees. Initially, our response was very slow and even now the number of people that we have agreed to take is very small. At a European level there has been a collective lack of leadership. One had host countries such as Germany, which had Angela Merkel...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Like previous speakers, I will start by acknowledging the presence in the Visitors Gallery of people who have worked on this issue for a long time, particularly Dr. Lydia Foy. She fought a personal challenge and put her personal life in the public domain in a difficult way for an extended period of time to bring us to the current position. I join others in paying particular tribute to Lydia...

Seanad: One-Parent Family Payment: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Earlier this month, lone parents were subjected to the last of a series of cuts to welfare payments that were announced in 2012, with 30,000 lone parents with children over seven losing their one-parent family payment entirely, some of them losing up to €140 a week. I will start by correcting my colleague, Senator Kelly, in saying that while some parents will lose nothing as a result...

Seanad: One-Parent Family Payment: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Nobody is gaining as a result of this change and the loss for some families is up to €140 per week. For a lone parent who is already facing pressure at this time of year, trying to organise school uniforms, back-to-school costs and all of that, this is the worst possible time to be hit with these costs. I am sure all of us have had people contacting our offices who have been made...

Seanad: One-Parent Family Payment: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Sometimes one has to be able to live with oneself, to sleep at night, to look people in the eye, to answer that phone call from a homeless lone parent and tell them one stood with them and that it is not just words of sympathy, but that one really stood with them and stood up for them when it counted.We have an opportunity to do that today. It is not too late to reverse these cuts. If the...

Seanad: Transplant Patient Services: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I thank the Minister for making himself available at short notice to debate it with us this evening. It is literally a matter of life and death. I thank Senator Daly for proposing the motion. I acknowledge the particular interest he has shown in the issue of organ transplantation in recent years. I am aware that it is a personal priority...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I agree that we should take amendment No. 14 first because it is an alternative.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I explained this to the Clerk of the Seanad prior to the debate because what we propose is somewhat complicated. There are 11 amendments to Government amendment No. 13, and amendment No. 14 is an alternative to amendment No. 13. We are, in effect, proposing to discuss 13 different issues which have been grouped together for the purpose of this debate. We are simply proposing that Members,...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: We want to explain what we are proposing to assist other Members in understanding the matter. We propose to debate amendment No. 14 first and when we proceed to amendment No. 13 and the 11 amendments to that amendment, we would debate them in six different sections. We would begin with amendments No. 1 to 3, inclusive, because they relate to the public-private distinction, followed by...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: ----- amendments Nos. 5 and 10, which provide for an employee's privacy, No. 8 in respect of marriage and No. 9. We are asking Members to make their contributions in a logical and structured fashion. It would be ridiculous if I was to speak about amendment No. 3 and another Member spoke about No. 3 or No. 9.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: We ought to deal with them in a sensible way.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: No. 14.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: After No. 14, we would debate the 11 amendments to amendment No. 13 in the following order: amendments Nos. 1 and 3; amendments Nos. 2 and 6; amendments Nos. 4 and 11; amendments Nos. 5 and 10; amendments Nos. 8; and amendments Nos. 9.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: As most of them are my amendments, when I rise to propose one I will be clear about the grouping being discussed.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Amendments Nos. 5 and 10 are grouped together because they relate to employee privacy. Amendment No. 6 is with amendment No. 2.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Amendment No. 7 is in my name but I will not be moving it because is sufficiently addressed in the Government's Report Stage amendments. That is why I did not mention it.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I will formally move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 13 and we will then discuss the amendments in order.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I wish to move amendments Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, to amendment No. 13 and the ghost amendments Nos. 12 and 13.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 1 to Government amendment No. 13: In the text proposed to be inserted by paragraph (b), to delete "(1A) Where an educational or medical institution referred to in subsection (1) is maintained, in whole or in part, by monies provided by the Oireachtas, more favourable treatment on the religion ground referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection" and substitute the...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I support where Senator Zappone is coming from in that, ideally, I would prefer to see section 37(1) deleted rather than amended. I know the Minister of State will say that his legal advice is that this is not possible. I brought forward the first Bill on this issue in 2012 and I must be honest and say that the legal advice I received was that the best we could do was amend it and that it...